Oscar Pistorius has won the 2012 Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award. This after he became the first amputee to win a non-disabled World Championship track medal, as a member of the South African silver medal winning 4 x 400 metres relay team in South Korea.

Here is the introduction made by Laureus Academy Member Sebastian Coe, and Chairman of the London Olympic Games Organising Committee:

I only realised the impact that Oscar has made on Olympic and Paralympic sport when I witnessed him in Trafalgar Square during the course of the summer. We celebrated International Paralympic Day in London and when Oscar gave his demonstration on a 60 metre stretch of tartan in front of the National Gallery, there were kids of all ages lining up wanting his autograph, pressing their noses to the barriers to get a glimpse of him. I suddenly realised this is a guy that really has made a massive impact in international sport. I think what Oscar has done is to really make us challenge our own orthodoxies, our own views about disability.

After receiving the award from Spanish actress Elsa Pataky and skateboard legend Tony Hawk, Oscar, as humble as ever said:

This is just a great privilege to be nominated, it is really humbling to be here. To all the Laureus Academy Members, all you guys and icons who a lot of us still competing look up to, thank you very much.

Here is a list of all the other winners for the evening:

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: Novak Djokovic

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: Vivian Cheruiyot

Laureus World Team of the Year: FC Barcelona

Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year: Rory McIlroy

Laureus World Comeback of the Year: Darren Clarke

Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Kelly Slater

There were two additional Awards: The Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award was awarded to England football legend Bobby Charlton, while Raí Souza Vieira de Oliveira, the former Brazilian footballer, now social justice campaigner, won the Laureus Sport for Good Award.